Make the Barbarians Great Again

Chapter 41: Each Person's Cliff (8)

Bagman was trembling slightly—something unusual for him.

He was being extremely cautious, afraid that his rough hands might damage this delicate fruit...

“Is… is this really Cheongweol?”

“It is.”

“Dear gods! Where in the world did you find this? I heard Cheongweol is extremely rare.”

Which spirit elixir wasn't difficult to find… But unlike others, Cheongweol grew on trees, making it even more special.

Besides, as long as it wasn’t completely harvested, it would eventually grow back in the same spot. Wasn’t that the nature of Cheongweol?

That made it all the more valuable.

“Then that means…”

Hindir had discovered a Cheongweol tree.

At that moment, Bagman felt the greed he thought he had long buried begin to stir within him.

Being human—or rather, being a warrior—such a desire for spirit elixirs was only natural.

However, he soon shut his eyes tightly and returned the Cheongweol.

“Tch… No wonder people kill each other over just one of these.”

He spoke self-mockingly.

The temptation was strong enough to momentarily shake the vow he had made in front of Hindir.

He overcame it, but even that fleeting hesitation was something Bagman couldn’t forgive himself for.

Besides, it would be more helpful to someone else than if he took it for himself.

“Give it to Ubol or Moritz. It’ll help them more.”

“I brought theirs too, anyway.”

“…Heh, you really love testing my resolve. Three of them, huh?”

Bagman shook his head in disbelief.

“And you’ll need one yourself, won’t you? Aren’t you stuck at a wall?”

“…Yeah.”

After his fight with Hindir, he had been able to reflect on his own abilities with a clear mind.

He realized he had to go further—but how easy was that?

After Hindir had left to find the Charun tribe, he had worked relentlessly in his own way.

But seeing Ubol and Moritz again made him realize something once more.

He was just an ordinary man.

He had paraded around like a king, but witnessing the genius of those two bloom after meeting Hindir made him feel nothing but foolishness and helplessness.

And then he began to see his age.

He realized his body was no longer what it used to be, and his skills had regressed.

Hindir couldn’t fully understand the inner thoughts of Bagman.

But seeing Bagman again after so long—clearly weaker than before—Hindir had recognized he had hit a wall.

“Walls are like that. When they’re close, they seem endlessly high, and you turn your head away out of frustration.”

“You’ve faced walls before?”

“Countless times.”

“Heh, well, I guess that’s how you became so strong. Still, it’s a mystery when I think about your age.”

“The wall is always in front of us. But from a longer perspective, it’s just another step.”

“Still, it’s never that easy. How about it? I’d like to hear some advice from someone with all that experience.”

“My advice is what’s in your hand.”

“Hm? This Cheongweol?”

“Yeah. Whether you climb over the wall or break through it—if you’ve got overwhelming strength, there’s no need to overthink it.”

“……”

What a brutish piece of advice.

In short, he was suggesting the forceful route—just increase mana and get stronger.

“But…”

“Think it’s a shortcut? Mana users say that all the time. That without enlightenment, no amount of mana matters.”

“That’s the proper view.”

“It’s not wrong. But if you’ve lived without a core, your perspective shifts a bit. Enlightenment and power complement each other.”

Through enlightenment, one organizes and systematizes experience—and that makes them stronger.

In the process, mana efficiency improves and one reaches greater heights.

That’s the path of growth through enlightenment.

But the reverse is also true.

If your mana level rises, you gain experiences beyond what enlightenment provides and encounter a broader range of stimuli.

If you dig into those, you may even find enlightenment.

“The order doesn’t matter. In the end, it’s the difference between moving forward or standing still. That’s the life of a warrior.”

“……”

Bagman silently gazed down at the Cheongweol.

At some point, the hands that had been trembling so delicately now held the Cheongweol with perfect stillness.

“You think it’s not too late?”

“I started again past sixty—and I made it here.”

“Haha… Whether that’s a joke or not, either way, you’re stronger than me.”

Bagman made up his mind and took a bite.

“Mmm! Delicious.”

As he tasted the sweetness and felt the mana begin to surge inside him, he began channeling his mana technique.

“What the hell?”

Only after the sun had completely set did Ubol, Moritz, and Duar return to the Choranchai clan.

They were startled to see unfamiliar large-bodied men playing gleefully, and then spotted Hindir off in a corner gloomily drinking alone.

“You’re back?”

At Hindir’s greeting, Ubol chuckled awkwardly.

“Shouldn’t we be asking you that? You’re the one who showed up.”

“Hyung-nim! Have you been well?”

Nod—

The three of them greeted Hindir each in their own way.

Hindir also glanced them over and nodded.

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

“Heh, you can tell right away? If we fought now, it’d be a completely different story from before.”

Ubol spoke confidently, but Duar snorted from behind and chimed in.

“This guy gets beaten up by the General every day. One time he couldn’t take it anymore and used his Ice-Blood Qi—still got wiped. I think the blood energy overwhelmed the ice…”

“Ugh!”

Ubol kicked Duar in the shin to shut him up.

Still, it was a rather amusing story.

‘I'd thought Ubol would dominate if he used Ice-Blood Qi…’

Seeing their current auras, that thought still held true.

But the fact that Moritz won meant she was hiding something more.

‘Impressive.’

What would happen if these two ate Cheongweol?

“But… what’s up with that guy? Everyone’s playing, and he’s just sitting out there?”

Ubol asked, watching Bagman sitting cross-legged and eyes closed in one corner.

“You sit too. You just got some exercise in—perfect timing.”

“Huh?”

Hindir pulled two Cheongweol from his leather pouch and handed one each to Ubol and Moritz.

“What’s this…?”

Ubol tilted his head in confusion, while Moritz snatched hers up silently and without hesitation.

‘…Definitely a genius.’

Hindir admired her and tossed one to the still-baffled Ubol.

“It’s Cheongweol.”

“Ch-Cheongweol?”

Ubol, who had looked uninterested, freaked out and fumbled multiple times before barely catching it.

“You maniac! Why’d you throw it like that?!”

“A little damage won’t ruin its effect. Don’t make a fuss.”

“Wow… This guy doesn’t know the value of a spirit elixir.”

Ubol’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the luminous blue apple.

“I’ve heard of it. Cheongweol’s properties change depending on the environment it grows in. If this came from the Great Snowfields, it must carry cold energy.”

“Yeah. It’ll suit you well.”

“With this…”

Ubol’s fighting spirit flared as he glanced at Moritz.

But she didn’t even look his way and was already munching on the Cheongweol.

Ubol looked dumbfounded.

“Wow… She’s just chomping it down like that.”

Ubol licked the Cheongweol cautiously with his tongue before finally lifting his head and began eating it.

Trying not to let a single drop of juice go to waste—it was almost painful to watch.

“Idiot.”

At Duar’s comment, Hindir nodded in agreement.

“Ahem. But hyung-nim, I was wondering…”

“If you want one, I’ll get it for you. But you might freeze to death the moment you eat it.”

“…Never mind.”

Duar looked enviously at the two who had begun circulating their energy.

“But what exactly did you do while following those two around?”

He had been curious about that for a while.

It didn’t seem like Duar had been training.

Sure, his stomach had shrunk a bit from climbing up and down Snow Dragon Valley, but there were no clear signs that he had learned anything new.

“Ah, it was because of their meals.”

“Meals?”

“Yes. I packed lunch boxes for them, but they said it wasn’t good since the food got cold. So I had no choice but to tag along and cook for them.”

“…Did they threaten you or something?”

“Come on, like I’d ever listen to that bastard Ubol.”

“What about Moritz?”

“…She didn’t say a word……”

Sometimes, silence was even more frightening.

Moritz, a surprisingly refined yet heavy eater, never went to the clan’s canteen.

After visiting just once, she realized that the best cook in Choranchai was Duar.

So she had just stared at him silently.

“Still, it’s nice having someone who likes my cooking. And I’m working on setting up a restaurant, so I’m free for a while.”

“Restaurant?”

Hindir nodded, thinking it suited him quite well.

“Not bad. I think you’ll do fine.”

“Of course. Anyway, drinking again? I’ll whip something up quickly.”

“Make plenty.”

“Heh, looks like hyung-nim missed my cooking.”

Rolling up his sleeves, Duar headed off somewhere.

As Duar’s awkward footsteps faded into the distance, the others focused on their mana techniques on the bare ground. In the distance, Charun and the Snowlit Crimson laughed and chatted around a fire.

With the flickering flames and shadows, darkness blurred the lines so no one could tell who was human and who was Charun.

Five hundred years ago, maybe this was the kind of scene he had hoped for.

The three who had eaten Cheongweol still hadn’t woken even by dawn.

People had returned to their homes to sleep, and the Charun tribe too were now tossing and turning in unfamiliar yet comfortable beds.

Hindir sat quietly in front of the meal Duar had prepared, sipping his drink.

“……”

A gust of snow wind swept past.

And not far off, Lady Parno appeared.

Her white garments were covered in dirt, and with her disheveled hair, no one would believe she was the Mistress of Parno.

“Come eat. It’s too much for one person.”

She glared at him before slowly approaching.

Then, discarding all decorum, she plopped down and began eating with her hands.

Her eyes, her movements, her aura—

All of it radiated a ravenous hunger.

Hindir didn’t know what exactly she was hungry for.

But he could tell that during her long trek following Charun out of Snow Dragon Valley, something had changed within her.

“…There’s poison.”

“Cough.”

“Kidding.”

“……”

“Haha.”

Her eyes narrowed with irritation as she glared at him.

Hindir smiled—he saw for the first time a new emotion in those eyes.

Then he held out a new bottle of liquor.

She didn’t take it immediately, seeming to hesitate.

“No poison.”

That convinced her to grab it and drink straight from the bottle.

“Gurrrp…”

A rough belch escaped after she downed the cheap strong liquor.

But she didn’t care and just kept eating.

As if Hindir wasn’t even there.

Watching her tear into the food, Hindir spoke.

“I’ll provide basic food and shelter. But everything else—you’ll have to figure out. Earning money, finding work, sleeping. Of course, you’re free to leave anytime. Everything is your choice. No one will force you.”

Her hands froze. She didn’t speak, just raised her eyes to glare at him.

“…Why are you doing this for me?”

“It’s not special treatment. I’m treating you like a person.”

“How insulting.”

“Think about it.”

Hindir gestured to the table of food as he continued.

“Tastes good, doesn’t it?”

“……”

“And what about the food you ate while chasing after us?”

“……”

“Isn’t it much better than what you had at the family estate?”

She couldn’t admit it, but she also couldn’t deny it.

Objectively, the food she’d had back at the estate tasted much better.

Nothing made in some mountain valley could compare to family cuisine.

At first, she had been so offended at being treated like a beggar that she stomped on the food.

But after a few days, the hunger had become unbearable, and she eventually gave in.

The food tasted mediocre.

Yet strangely, she kept wanting more.

That’s why she had kept following Hindir and Charun.

Because she wanted to eat that bland food again.

“Life is like that. What you wear, what you eat, what you drink—those things don’t define your life.”

“You barbarian child. I’ve lived decades more than you. And you think you can lecture me about life?”

“Well.”

Hindir picked up a piece of meat from the table.

Then he wrapped it tightly in a strongly scented leaf she hadn’t touched.

“At the very least, I know more about life than someone who doesn’t know the taste of this meat wrap.”

He popped it into his mouth and drank, clearly pleased.

Watching him, she cautiously reached out for one of the mysterious leaves.

She, too, had escaped her cliff.